Bozeman Theft Suspect Arrested Again on Felony Charge

Just a couple of weeks after being arrested on suspicion of committing a string of construction site, home and storage unit break-ins, Brad Essig, 36, was back on authorities’ radar Thursday.

At approximately 4 p.m., the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to Essig’s address on Gallatin Road. The reporting party was a woman claiming to be Essig’s ex-girlfriend. She indicated to the on-scene deputy that she was attempting to remove some of her belongings from Essig’s home after a disagreement earlier in the day.

The woman told the deputy that while she was retrieving her property, Essig rammed her car with the winch on his Chevy Blazer while she was in it. She says she then got out of her vehicle to inspect the damage when Essig rammed her car a second time.

The woman claims she then drove away from the residence and Essig gave chase. She says that Essig followed her down Gallatin Road where he attempted to run her off the road. Essig apparently followed the woman at a high rate of speed from the home until they arrived near a game check station at the mouth of the Gallatin Canyon. Essig apparently turned around at that point and drove back the opposite way.

Essig was arrested after the alleged incident and was charged with felony criminal endangerment. Essig was ordered by a Gallatin County judge on Friday to have no contact with the alleged victim and bail was set at $50,000 in the case.

These new charges come after Essig was released on a $50,000 bond relating to the thefts, which occurred between January and May 2018. Learn more here about Essig’s arrest relating to the series of thefts.